Targeted delivery of epirubicin to cancerous cell using copper sulphide nanoparticle coated with polyarginine and 5TR1 aptamer

Chemotherapy has been widely acknowledged as a primary approach for cancer treatment. However, the administration of chemotherapy agents is often limited by their adverse effects that result from an inability to distinguish between healthy and malignant cells. As such, utilising nanocarriers in targeted drug delivery can significantly reduce these side effects while enhancing therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we developed copper sulphide nanoparticles (CuSNPs) loaded with epirubicin (Epi) coated by polyarginine and 5TR1 aptamer (CEPA) to target mucin-1 which is overexpressed on various types of cancer cells. MTT results revealed that CEPA significantly induced cytotoxicity of the drug in desired cell lines (C26 and MCF-7, mucin+) compared to CEPA-treated CHO cells (non-target, mucin−), verifying the targeting ability of CEPA complex. The obtained results from both flow cytometry analysis and cell imaging demonstrated that CEPA complex had successful internalisation in both target cell lines but no internalisation in CHO cell line. The result of in vivo assay showed more tumour inhibition and more accumulation in tumour tissue for CEPA complex in comparison to free Epi. To conclude, the CEPA complex has demonstrated superior efficacy and fewer adverse reactions compared to Epi. This indicates a promising and effective strategy for treating cancer.